This is by no means a complete list, if readers would like to contribute sightings they're more than welcome.
Reviews
Performance Car
| Performance Car |
|---|
| Jul 96 | N459SOC 96 green long term fleet farewell |
| Jan 97 | '96 green Prodrive in Performance Car of the Year |
| Feb 97 | P113EVP green 97 |
| Jun 97 | P496DOA Prodrive 97 silver |
| Nov 97 | P118EVP 97 red 0-60 challenge |
| Dec 97 | R680CDA Prodrive 97 reddish blue (also WRX STi P318SPV 97 silver) |
| Jan 98 | R743CDA 97 reddish blue PCOTY 2nd place |
| Feb 98 | R744CDA white 98 & R743CDA reddish blue 4x4 issue |
| Mar 98 | N459SOC 96 green, R555WAS reddish blue, plus others in a second hand buyers guide. |
| Apr 98 | R397BTC WRX STi ver 4 plus a pic of N459SOC in the letters section and a 1/4 page and pic on a white WRX STi version 4 coupe (and mention of the STi 22B) |
| May 98 | Specs and pictures (seemingly ripped off the Internet!) of STi 22B and Terzo |
| June 98 | R400 RRR WRX STi Coupe Type R vs Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V (WRX loses due to frantic short gearing and less subtle handling, but does 0-60 in 4.3 seconds!, 1/4 mile in 13.2@104mph. R412 VOF Long term test car. |
Car Week
| Car Week |
|---|
| 25th May 94 | JET 2 Prodrive Impreza in a group test versus Escort Cosworth and Celica GT-4 |
| Autocar |
| 6th April 94 | L605 YWD (incl.cover pic), silver 4-door. "fabulous performance, good value for money, excellent warranty" |
| 17th Mar 97 | 1/4 page limited edition Catalunya write up |
| 1st Oct 97 | 1/4 page R975UHM 98 red |
| 27th Nov 97 | P216 PLM Yellow WRX STi III 2 door coupe. Head to head with EVO IV and Escort WRC. Impreza gets reviewer's vote. |
| 4th Feb 98 | R741CDA 98 silver 5 door |
| 13th May 98 | WRX Type R Coupe vs Misubishi Lancer Evo V |
| 17th June 98 | R468 AOE Britain's blue 5 door. Top 100, no 1 Subaru Impreza Turbo 5dr. "So now it's official: the Subaru Impreza 2.0 Turbo is the best new car you can buy" |
What Car
| What Car |
|---|
| Dec 97 | P118 EVP 97 red vs Volvo S40 T4 |
Auto Express
| Auto Express |
| Autumn 94, Special | L607YWD 5 door comparison test against Escort Cosworth and Lancia Delta Integrale. Impreza came equal 2nd with Escort in handling but won in best performance. |
| 21st Feb 97 | P97EVP 97 reddish blue. Comparison against Lotus Esprit Turbo and Lotus Elise |
| 10th Dec 97 | R743CDA 97 reddish blue |
| 17th Dec 97 | P97EVP 5 door 97 reddish blue sporting alternative shootout winner |
| 25th May 98 | R741CDA silver 5 door. Impreza versus Escort Cosworth, Impreza wins. |
| 6th May 98 | Details of STi 22B, including comments from Subaru UK that they are looking seriously at importing it officially into the UK! |
Top Gear
| Top Gear |
|---|
| Jul 94 | L607YWD 5 door green, "Dull, boring and slow. Honest". Reviewer thinks it is fab, but wants to keep it a secret! |
| Jul 95 | M52 KJW 4 door red. Group test in which Scooby comes second to a Mazda 323! |
| Feb 97 | N542SOC, 5 door red long term test |
| Jul 97 | Red 4 door, minitest of improved 97 model |
| Nov 97 | P117EVP 97 white being thrashed around Thruxton by Tiff |
Car
| Car |
|---|
| Dec 96 | Prodrive modified 4 door wins handling test |
| Dec 97 | P32KOX 97 reddish blue in their handling test |
| May 98 | R400RRR 98 WRX STi 4 vs Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 (the WRX wins ;-) |
| Sep 98 | Feature on 22B; comparison with 911, Mention of this FAQ!, Feature on grey imports |
| Car and Car Conversions |
| July 98 | R644ENV green 5 door & R387VOF 4 door Prodrive. Comparison of standard and Prodrive modified Impreza Turbo's |
Quotes
"The Impreza Turbo is
the cult car of the late 1990's"
--
Performance Car, Dec 97
"Finally at 4000rpm the boost starts to flow. It's hardly the explosion I feared but it pushes the Turbo along briskly, if not with the vigour of, say, an Impreza Turbo"
--
Performance Car, May 98 (talking about a 260bhp Porsche 911 Turbo)
"The Subaru has similar power to the Boxster. It lapped faster. It's a four door saloon. And if it had been wet or bumpy the difference would almost certainly have been greater. An amazing car."[And a final caption on a photo...] "Impreza Turbo: power, grip, balance. Buy one."
--
Car, Nov 97
"The Impreza is one of those cars that cannot be driven in any manner other than too fast"
--
Autocar, 26 Nov 97
"Much has been written about the Scooby ... so I won't bore you with anything more, except to say that it is the best car I have ever driven. It's so good it makes me walk differently. I adopt a sort of bowed stance, arms and upper body unmoving, shaking my head in wonder, looking at the floor and shuffling forward slowly. That's if I'm not walking backwards, admiring the thing, listening to it tick as it cools. Arghh!"
-- Performance Car, Jun 1998
Accolades
BBC Top Gear Magazine in association with J.D. Power run an annual customer satisfaction survey for British motorists. In 1997, Subaru was rated top manufacturer. In 1998, Subaru slipped back to second, but the Impreza was top car!
Magazine Back Issues
Should you wish to read any of the above reviews, we would suggest that you contact the very helpful back issues departments of the above magazines. Even if the issue you want has sold out, they can usually arrange for you to get a photocopy of the article you are interested in.
Telephone numbers
| Performance Car | Sadly no longer exists ... contact Car? |
| Autocar | 01235 534323 |
| Auto Express | 01454 620070 |
| Top Gear | 01795 414744 |
| Car | 01858 435337 (9:00 - 5:30 weekdays only) |
| Car and Car Conversions | 0181 686 2599 |
| EVO | EVO Magazine |
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Copyright 1998-2000 Steve Breen, Peter Croney, Adam Curtin, John Stewart, see Copyright page for details
